Many
people struggle with what is called an identity crisis. They have a hard time
figuring out their role in this world. Some cannot decide what they want to do
with their life, as they consider going to school, finding a job or perhaps
doing nothing at all. For others, a change of direction is needed, as what they
are currently doing is no longer satisfying. Sometimes, they may even question
their role in this world or their purpose in life. That is a challenge facing
many people. It is a challenge that might even lead one to have a low self
esteem. In other words, a person may think they offer little or no value to this
world or to anybody else. They might even believe they themselves are of no
value at all. Again, that struggle is real for many people and some are looking
for an answer. Well, the story before us today is about a man who experienced a
loss of direction. Even though he was doing good things in the name of God and
for God's people he lost his focus. He wondered if he really had a purpose. He
thought he was the only one who was doing what was right and he began to feel
sorry for himself. We might even say he had a self esteem problem. But before he
drifted too far away, God let him know he was still very valuable and important
to Him and to others. Yes, there was a purpose for his life and a role for him
to fulfill. If you are struggling with something like that in your own life,
perhaps today's story will be of interest. Thank you for choosing to watch "Key
to the Kingdom." I hope you will stay tuned as we now open the Bible and study
together.

**LESSON

Have
you ever considered how much you are worth? Oh, I'm not talking about your
financial statement from the bank. I'm not referring to your net assets and
liabilities. I am referring to what you think about yourself. Are there times
when the pressures of life seem too much to bear and you wonder if you can hang
on? Perhaps the strain and the stress of things at work cause you to consider
how much longer you can last. Perhaps the responsibilities and the relationships
at school are more than what you expected, or maybe the daily life of the home,
dealing with children or elderly parents; and you wonder if this is all there is
to life. And you begin to think to yourself, "Well, perhaps I am not worth much,
anymore. Perhaps I am not of any value to anybody or anything." The man that we
look at in our story today, from 1st Kings, had some of those very same
feelings. He felt as if he was not worth very much anymore. The man I'm
referring to is Elijah. He was the Prophet of God. One day he met up with the
king of Israel, his name was Ahab, and they began to argue back and forth. And
Ahab said to Elijah, "You have brought all kinds of trouble upon the people."
And Elijah said, "Oh no, Ahab. It is you, king, because these people no longer
obey and follow the Lord, but rather Baal." Elijah presents an opportunity for
them to all assemble there at the mountain, Mount Carmel, to have a contest to
see who really is God, the Lord God Almighty or Baal. And that pleased Ahab. All
of the Israelites gathered there at the mountain, along with 450 prophets of
Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who ate at Jezebel's table. And as they
were all assembled, Elijah stands before them and he asks the question, "How
long will you go limping between two different opinions? If God is God, serve
Him. But if Baal is god, then serve him." It's interesting to notice the
people's response. They did not say a word. They had no response. Perhaps they
did not want to insult the Lord God Almighty. Perhaps they did not want to
insult the god Baal. They had nothing to say. And so Elijah said, "Here is what
we're going to do. Ahab, I want you to take a bull sacrifice and to put it upon
the altar and then call upon the name of Baal to send fire to consume, to
destroy that sacrifice." And so he did. And the people cried out to Baal all
morning long, that he would send fire, and yet there was no response. About noon
time Elijah began to make fun of the whole situation and he said, "Why don't you
cry out just a little bit louder? Perhaps he is on a trip or perhaps he is
taking a nap." And so the people began to cut themselves with their swords and
knives and they cried out to Baal all afternoon. And yet, there was no response
and no voice and no one answered. It was now Elijah's turn and he rebuilt the
altar of the Lord. He took his bull sacrifice and placed it upon the altar. He
then dug a trench all around the altar and he poured four big pitchers of water
on top of the sacrifice and the altar and it ran down into the trench. He then
filled up those four water jars a second time and a third time, and poured it
out. Twelve full jars of water all over that altar and that sacrifice and into
the trench. And then he called upon the name of the Lord God Almighty, and
immediately and without hesitation, God sent fire down and consumed the
sacrifice and the altar and even licked up all of the water. And then the people
responded by saying, "The Lord, He is God. The Lord, He is God." Elijah
commanded all of the people to gather up the false prophets. To take them down
to the river and there they were put to death. It was about that time, though,
that Elijah told Jezebel what was happening and she sent a servant to Elijah
saying, "By this time tomorrow your life will also be taken away." And Elijah
was afraid and he began to run. In fact, he ran as hard and as fast as he could,
for some 125 miles to the south, and he ended up in the wilderness of Beersheba.
Yes, Elijah was afraid. He was afraid that indeed someone would come along and
take away his life and he would be no more. And yet it seems that was okay with
Elijah because he began to say to himself and to the Lord, "I'm not worth much
anymore. They're trying to take away my life and I just want to hide." And so he
ran away. But he could not hide from the presence of God. After he left
Beersheba he continued to run another 250 miles to the south when he ended up on
the mountain of God, Mount Horeb, or another name for it is Mount Sinai. And
there Elijah went into a cave, hiding out, just waiting for his life to be over.
And it was then that God passed before him and He said, "I want you to come to
the entrance of that cave." And when he was there, God passed by in a great
earthquake. And yet there was no voice or message for Elijah. He then passed by
in a wind storm; but again, there was nothing from the Lord. And then God passed
by in a fire, and yet for the third time, there was no message. But yet, after
God had gotten Elijah's attention, He then spoke to Elijah in a still small
voice. And Elijah heard it. And God asked him, "What are you doing here?" And
Elijah said, "Oh, I've been very zealous for you, God. I've done what is good
and right, but they seek to take away my life and I am no good anymore. I'm
ready just to die. Why don't you just take away my life because I have nothing
left to offer." And God said, "I want you to go out and to anoint a new king for
Israel and anoint a new king for Syria, and then to identify Elisha as the
prophet who will take your place." And Elijah did just that. Several things in
that story jump out at me. First of all, when Elijah comes before those people
he asked them the question, how long will you waiver or limp between two
different opinions? And isn't that the question we need to ask our-self every
day? If God is God then I should serve Him. But if He is not, then I choose a
different direction. Yet, oftentimes, we tend to straddle the line, and to serve
the Lord one day and not another day. And yet God calls upon us to make that
decision for Him each and every day. A second thing that grabs my attention is
that there is absolutely no god in this world who is even close to the Lord God
Almighty. There's absolutely no god that can demonstrate the kind of power that
our God in Heaven demonstrates. We saw that when He sent that fire down and
consumed the altar and the sacrifice in the presence of the people. The third
thing that gets my attention is that Elijah was afraid. When his life was
threatened, he ran away. He thought, "Sure enough the enemy is going to get me
and I'm not going to live very much longer, but I'm going to run away as hard
and as fast as I can." And yet we are told some 365 times in God's Word
something to the effect of do not be afraid and do not fear. That is one time
for every day of the year; a daily reminder that we don't need to live our lives
in fear because God is watching out for us and we are of great value to Him. Now
even after this great victory there on Mount Carmel, Elijah became discouraged.
He was disheartened. He went through a period of depression. He didn't know for
sure if he was worth anything to anybody any more and he was ready to simply
give up. And yet when God appeared to him at the entrance of the cave there on
Mount Horeb, He reminded Elijah that Elijah was of great value to Him. Elijah
was important. Elijah had a purpose that he needed to fulfill in order to bring
glory to God. And Elijah went out and did those things. He anointed those two
new kings and he identified Elisha as the next prophet. Elijah needed to hear
those words. He needed to know from God Himself that he was of value and
significance and importance to God. I want you to know today that no matter how
you might feel about your life, you are important to God. You are of great worth
and of great value to Him. And I hope that you will never forget that, that God
has a purpose and a direction for your life, also. Oh, it may appear at times
that He doesn't. It may appear at times that you are kind of wandering through
life and there is no direction for you to pursue. And you wonder, "What is God
up to in my life?" I want to share a passage of Scripture with you. It comes
from the Old Testament book of Jeremiah. God's people, the Israelites, were in
Babylonian captivity, and they were there for some 70 years. And no doubt those
people must have thought, "God has forgotten us. He doesn't know that we're out
here. What are we going to do? How long can we survive in captivity?" Well God
knew that; and that's why He sent this message to them from the prophet
Jeremiah. We find his words in chapter 29, verse 11. "'I know the plans I have
for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to
give you hope and a future. You will call upon me and come and pray to me and I
will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of
your heart. I will be found by you.'" Oh, those people needed to hear those
words. They needed to know that God had not forgotten them. He had a plan and a
future for them. And no doubt it inspired hope for these people, that God was
preparing something for them. They didn't know for sure when or what it might
be, but God had not forgotten them; and certainly that promise still applies to
us today. God highly values us because God deeply loves us. He loves you more
than you will ever know. In fact, He loves you so much that He sent His son,
Jesus Christ, to die on your behalf. Jesus died on a cross, was buried in a tomb
and then He rose up from the grave to give you a hope, to give you the
opportunity to be a part of God's family and to have a meaning and a purpose and
a direction for your life. And, yes, it is in Him that we find our significance
and our value. It is in the Lord God Almighty that we find our self esteem, and
we recognize that we are very valuable to God. I think about the words of Jesus
when He spoke, in His ministry in Matthew chapter 10, these words: "Are not two
sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground, apart
from your Father. But even the hairs on your head are all numbered. Fear not,
therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows..." Oh, we see those little
sparrows flying in the sky, don't we, those little birds, and we oftentimes
wonder, "How are they cared for?" And yet they always seem to find something to
eat and something to drink. They find a place to stay at night. And Jesus says,
"When one of those little birds falls to the ground, your Father in Heaven knows
that. He recognizes and He sees all of His creation. He sees what is going on in
those little birds' lives." But do you realize that He cares so much more for
you? He loves you. He even knows every intrical detail about your life. He knows
how many hairs are on your head; and yes, for some of us that's fewer than for
others. But the message Jesus conveys is 'therefore, don't be afraid.' There's
no need to live your life in fear. There's no need to live as if you aren't
worth anything to anybody anymore, because you are special to God. I think about
the words of the apostle Paul from Galatians chapter 4 and verse 7: "You are no
longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God..." As a child
of God I am a member of His family. I am one of His sons. You might be one of
His daughters. We are children who belong to the Lord. And as a result of that,
we have an inheritance. We are an heir to the promises and blessings that He has
for all of His children. Oh, I think about the various inheritances that people
receive today. Sometimes it's a great deal of money, perhaps some land or other
valuable possessions. And we look forward to that inheritance. We are an heir in
that family and we are a part of it and that's what we receive because of the
privilege we have of belonging to that family. And Paul tells us, in the
Scripture, "I have something even better for you." Peter tells us that it is an
inheritance that can never perish or spoil or fade, that is kept in heaven for
us and will be given to us at just the right time. Now, I don't know about you,
but that makes me feel special. God has something in store for me, He has a
reward, He has an inheritance for me that can never be taken away; and I look
forward to receiving that reward. And that reward is for you, as well, as one of
one of God's children. I want to look at one more passage of Scripture. It's
written by the man David in the Old Testament. It comes from Psalm 139. We won't
read the entire Psalm but I want to read the first 10 verses. And as I do, I
want you to put yourself in David's sandals. Think about how these words can
apply to you. Let's begin with verse 1. "Oh, Lord, you have searched me and know
me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from
afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my
ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold oh Lord, you know it
altogether. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such
knowledge is too wonderful for me, it is high, I cannot attain it. Where shall I
go from your Spirit? Where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to
heaven, you are there, if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the
wings of the morning, and dwell in the utter most parts of the sea, even there
your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me." Oh, that's a
beautiful thought. And then going down to verses 17 and 18, we find these words;
that we are precious in God's sight, and He is always thinking about us. Did you
know that? Did you know that God is always thinking about you? And you are
precious to Him. He knows the words that will come out of your mouth even before
you say them. He knows when you get up and when you lie down. He watches over
you and takes care of you when you go out and when you stay at home. And why is
that? It is because God loves you and you are of great worth and value to Him.
You know, David reminds us of that great truth. That was something Elijah needed
to know, that God loved him and cared for him and He was watching over him, even
when Elijah thought there was no hope and no future. You know today, our worth
really does not depend on what other people might say about us. Our worth does
not depend upon the rumors that float out there about us. Our worth to God does
not depend upon where we live or who we are or what we do for a living. We are
of great value to God because He created us, He sustains us, and He loves us
more than we will ever know. And because of that, we recognize that what other
people say about us is not nearly as important as who we are. And who are we? We
are special in God's sight, we are His children, we belong to Him, He belongs to
us, and we have that fellowship with the Lord. Our sufficiency is found in Jesus
Christ, the Son of God. It is there that we find our self esteem and our purpose
and our direction in life. And it really makes no difference what other people
might say or think about who we are or how much we are worth because we are of
great value to God. And because of that great truth, we can now focus on God's
love for us instead of the pressures of life. And those pressures of life come;
don't they? We experience the ups and the downs, the trials and the testings and
the tribulations of life and sometimes they weight heavily upon us. We may even
feel like Elijah and want to just throw in the towel and quit and say, "I'm no
better than anybody else. I'm not worth anything any more." And yet, let us
never forget God loves us more than we will ever know. We are special to Him. We
are of great value to God; and, we are worth more than we could ever imagine. If
you are struggling with feeling as if you are not worth very much any more,
remember that God loves you and you are worth a tremendous amount to the Lord
God Almighty.

**VIDEO CLIP

As I
look at this house for sale, there is one question that is the bottom line
question for me, and that is; is this house really worth it? How much is this
house worth? As I look at the price sheet of all of the different things that
are in this house and as I consider the outside of the house, I ask that
question. Is it really worth what they're asking for it? We ask that question in
a variety of situations in life; don't we? We want to know if what people are
asking for certain things they're selling is really worth it. And from time to
time we might even ask that about our own life. Is it really worth anything? Am
I of any value to anybody or to any organization? I was doing some research not
long ago and I found that the chemicals within a 175 pound body are only worth
about $160. That's hard to imagine, isn't it? Our physical bodies really aren't
worth very much when it comes down to the chemicals. And yet here is one thing I
always want us to remember. We are of great value to God. We are worth something
that we cannot even imagine, to God. We are important to Him. We always have
been and we always will be. He created us. He gave us a purpose and a mission in
this world. God even knows the number of hairs that are on our head. Yes, we are
important to God and we can never forget that. I would encourage us to know that
when we become discouraged or down on our self, God believes in us. He believes
in you because you are special and important and of great value to Him.

**CONCLUSION

Thank
you for watching today's episode on "Key to the Kingdom." Hopefully the story of
Elijah gave us some things to consider. If you are struggling with the issue of
self esteem or seeking a purpose for your life, remember, God has a plan for you
and that you are very important to Him. This lesson can be viewed again on our
website, keytothekingdom.com. It is available in video, audio and written
format. It is also free from any charge or obligation. Other lessons are on the
website as well and you are welcome to download any that might be of interest. I
encourage you to do so. Short inspirational videos and one minute messages are
there as well. A free Bible study can be received through the mail when you call
the number on the screen. Please leave your name and address and we will be
happy to mail the first lesson to you. If you would like to the study the Bible
through the internet, this same free Bible study can also be accessed through
the website. The six-part study is designed to assist you in your own study of
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free app on your phone. Thank you so much for tuning in to today's program.
Hopefully this message was a blessing to you. I do invite you to join us again
next week at this same time, as we continue to study the Bible on "Key to the
Kingdom."